Just Friends
by Why Angels Fall
Summary: Matt. And Joe. Together. Er, I mean, when the youngest of the Digidestined becomes sick the bonds of friends and lovers alike becomes very important. Originally published under the name Phoenixfire. (1st season)
1. Tape One

Just Friends

"Jim, there's something you have to know." I look at the face across the table. A look of fear and anxiety crosses it at the sound of those words. 

"Jyou, you know you can tell me anything." My brother gives me an apprehensive smile. 

"You gotta promise not to tell Mom and Dad," 

"...Ok, I won't." 

"Alrighty then. Writing into's is probably Phoenixfire's favorite part. She can be rude, offensive, mean, and state her plans for world domination, all while slipping top secret plans right under the government's nose. KGB? NSA? Black Helicopters? Stay tuned." 

"What the— Huh? So... you want to report her?" 

"Umm.... duh. No. Anyway Phoenixfire own no rights, characters, plot twists, names, or even stock to any of the Digimon subsidiaries. Something she probably should have done." 

"And I care why???" My brother looks at me like I've lost my mind. 

"You don't. Neither do any of the people reading this fic. It's just a thang she does to entertain." 

"AHHH, my MIND! YOU SCARED IT!!!" My brother gripes his ears as if his brain might escape out them. "Fic? People? Thang? WTF??? Who the HELL are you talking to?? Have you gone NUTS??" 

"Nuts to you bro. Sex isn't the only thing in this fic, but there is a male x male relationship. However there's more on adventure and bonds of brotherhood and love then people doing the hot monkey dance. This fic is part comedy, part adventure, part *sniff* romance, and pure insanity. There is a lot more character-wise, and name-wise going on here then you may first realize. This fic is loaded with literary affects. Such as: alliteration, foreshadowing, personification, repeated themes... as well as others I may have forgotten. You have been warned. Anyways, there is no reason to flame Phoenixfire over this fic, and that's pretty much all she gets for slashing these two characters. Oh well, please don't sue... her." 

"Slashing? Ewww..." 

"That's right." 

"Oh dear god." Jim says as he figures out where this is going. 

"You have to understand some things first before you continue this very strange fic. It has Yamato. And me. Still want to read?" 

"Um no, not really." he says getting up to leave. I grab his shoulder and make him sit back down. 

"Captive audience. Great." 

"Anyway back to my original thought." 

"So no more about Pheonixpyres?" 

Ok, it's PhOEnixfire, and as I was saying," I tried to get him back on track "Jim, I wanted to talk to you seriously. There's something important that you should know: Do you remember Yama-- er, Matt?" 

"How could I forget?"he answers me. "You guys have hung out together since before..." he trails off, wincing at the memory of my leaving for the Digiworld. He tries to hide it, but I've known him too long for it to work. 

"...Yeah, um, hung out." 

"What did you want to tell me?" 

"I... well, that is... er... How about a story?" 

"...Ok?" he says unsure of what to say next. 

"This won't make any sense unless you know that Yama— er, Matt and I had been friends in the real world." I say launching into my story. "Best friends in fact. We were closer then most male relationships I know. From trading black eyes to our deepest secrets we knew each other's deepest fears, anxieties and dreams. It was this trust, this bond, that kept us together even after Matt had moved out of our apartment complex. When we were reunited in the Digiworld I was surprised at the damage that the real world had done to him. It was like his eyes had seen more in the one year that we were apart then most people will see in there entire lives. Then again, he's always had the kind of life that would give him that affect. His father, a frightening man, had caused my friend more pain then he was willing to admit. Perhaps the father figure knew then what I — we — know now." 

My brother looks at his watch. "Fluffy, overused clichés, redundancy, useless information... Jyou is this going to take long?" 

"Long enough." 

"Nooooo......." 

"I heard that. Now then, in the beginning, TK had taken ill. So we stayed. It was a nice place, strange and mysterious. Open sky surrounding us and near enough to a waterfall that we could hear it as we laid ourselves down to sleep. We didn't stay there long; but it was enough time to change some of us forever. This is a story of a time long ago. A time of myth and legend. A time of warlords and kings— " 

"Not to mention copyright infringement." 

"Uhh... er, sorry. This... this is my story:" 

* * *

In the dying firelight I could see TK and his brother. The smaller boy was laying down, a cold cloth on his forehead as he whispered in delirium to his brother who was kneeling, TK's head in Matt's lap. Brothers, with a dedication toward each other unlike anything I've ever seen. There, in that firelight you could see the bond that they shared. I saw it like an aurora around them, silhouetting their bodies in harsh light. ...then again it could have just been the firelight's strange angels. Although... It was that moment that I knew that there was a magic, a fire, within Matt's soul, one that would never let his beloved brother die. 

I slowly made my way towards them not wanting to take advantage of my childhood bond. Sitting next to them, I wished I could help. With that, Matt gave me a sad, apologetic smile, as if to say: _He's my last life line. I need to do anything within my power to help him._ I nodded, understanding that this was Matt's way of dealing with things. 

"Just make sure that you also get some sleep, Matt." I whispered so as to not wake TK. He solemnly nodded as I walked away, looking for a place sleep near them. 

* * *

It wasn't till late the next afternoon that TK's fever got any better. He was still sick, but of course I didn't know that until Matt told me, as twilight came, by the waterfall. 

In reality I went to the waterfall for it's tranquility, and the refreshingness of the cold mountain water. And of course to get away from it all. Only a loner could truly understand and cherish solitude what that the water there provided. But the reason I always gave was cleanliness, so as to keep the others away. 

The water there was deep and cold, coming from the melting snow up on the mountain top. I arrived there after some 10 minutes of wandering through the trees. I cast off my clothes and put them on the shore where they would stay dry while I swam. Soon I was watching the moonlight reflect off of the water as I lazily backstroked through it. For the longest time the only sound I could hear was the deafening waterfall. The scene was so tranquil that I would have forgotten that the others even existed had I not been thinking about TK and Matt... _How is it that TK gets better simply by being there? The bond they share can't simply be of brotherhood. Matt's just... different. I can sense that about him... There are some things that run thicker then water, but I'm positive that this one runs thicker then blood._

I can always tell when Matt is near me, because a feeling like iron wells up along my spine. I'm not sure why I sense him, but for whatever reason he was never able to sneak up on me. But this time my thoughts were rampaging through my mind with such force that it wasn't until I felt a sensation of cold steel along my back, and heard a voice that I turned around. 

"Getting away from it all can have dangerous affects, Jyou. Such as pruning." The voice was deep, and familiar. Hell, I could live to be a hundred and still recognize that voice. But I had been startled so much that I stopped swimming. Not the smartest thing to do in deep water. 

"Matt! You're here! But your brother..." Half sentences were the most intelligent thing I could utter at the moment. My mind was still in the solitude's loneliness that had encased me moments before. Matt took a stroke towards me, his body cutting the water. In the real world I had known Matt to be strong, and powerful. Even when fully exposed to each other Matt always had a sense of power and fire. At the points when he should have been his weakest he still seemed strong. But as he swam up to me he seemed... different, even vulnerable, probably because of his brother being so ill. _Like I said, there is a mystical link between those guys._ I picked up on the half sentences that I had started. "Is your brother well?" 

"He's out of delirium, and his fever has lowered almost to the point of normal. He'll be back on his feet, playing with Kari in no time, you'll see." Matt's eyes were trained on the water as he spoke. 

"Thank the gods. I was so worried." I said as I gave a strong kick in the water, launching myself towards him. 

"Oh, you know TK. Sick one minute, annoying Mom the next. You remember what that was like Jyou. It used to happen a lot at home, especially when he knew that you were coming over. That kid really likes you." Matt said, getting ready to launch into a story about the happier times in his life, off in a place where the bad parts never existed. That was just his style. 

"I was also worried about you, Matt. It's like whenever TK's sick you try to give your own strength to him by willing it upon him to get better. Its almost uncanny that he gets better simply by you being there." 

Matt grinned at this. "It's a thing with brothers." he said. "You stayed with him last night too. So, I'm not the only one who was scared for TK." 

"...I'm always afraid that you might loose your brother..." I said flatly. Matt knew that I loved TK possible as much as he did. I feared losing him too. 

"I know. You and him are the only things that keep me bound to the Earth... and the Digiworld." 

_...Me? But Matt's so strong. He rarely ever needed a shoulder to cry on... save the darker parts of his life..._ A thousand emotions welled up inside of me. Sorrow that I couldn't always have been there for Matt. Hate for his father for giving him so much pain, and... something deeper, something I couldn't quite place. "Matt, I think that I— " I got cut off mid sentence. 

It was Mimi who came swimming toward us. Having never really liked Mimi's cold distant nature, I found myself looking for some way to get out of there. As she swam towards us she managed to corner Matt. 

"Matt, I'm SO glad your brother's better." Mimi's voice was silky, and she gave him a flirtatious smile. She was completely ignoring me, so I decided that would be the perfect time to hightail it out of there. 

"Um.. I better go." I said as I watched Mimi, who looked like she would jump on Matt. And that was one thing that I definitely didn't want to be around for. I kicked the water hard, and headed toward waterfall. While I could have just gotten out and gone back to the campsite, there was something about the water that made it seem peaceful and soothing. Even if Mimi might just take Matt right there in the water. But by the waterfall I had control and, more importantly, I didn't have to hear, or see, Mimi. 

The water there was deep, and cool. The waterfall was high enough that it was impressive, but not high enough for the current to be overpowering. Unlike most I had seen, this one dropped strait down instead of bouncing off rocks, suggesting that there was space behind it. Eventually curiosity got the best of me and I swam to the edge of it to see what, if anything, was behind it. There was about half a meter between the cascading water and the rocks. I looked up and saw a alcove in the wall about a meter up. Finding a foot-hole in the rocks I began to climb up to it. 

The alcove was larger then I had originally thought it was. At about 3 meters long and about 2 meters wide with the corners rounded off, it was impressive. Unfortunately when I tried to stand up I had to stoop, but given that I'm very tall, that was expected. It was warmer then the outside air, and certainly warmer then I had expected. The only odd thing about it was the long-grass covering the entire floor of the cave. But this kept some heat in, and it was nice to lay down on, so it was welcomed. It was brighter in the cave then I would have figured, but this, like the others was a welcomed surprise. As I sat in the back of cave where it was quieter; I thought back to the conversation with Matt before Mimi had butted in. Now, instead of talking with my best friend, I was overcome by a wave of loneliness. Feeling unexpectedly tired I laid down on the long-grass floor. Before I knew it, I was asleep on the alcove floor, naked, anguished, and lonely. 

* * *

It was just after breakfast when I had been kneeling in front of TK checking his fever and changing his cold cloth when it happened. Matt was faithfully with his brother, also tending to the small child. It began very slowly, so slow that I almost didn't notice it. But it was there, like if I closed my eyes and slowly counted to a hundred it would be brighter. An aurora of light was definitely enveloping Matt and TK... No... something told me that they were Yamato and Takeru. A voice... telling me things — in my mind, like a itch that I couldn't get. I wanted to reach into my mind and just scratch. The aurora was telling me things about Matt...Yamato, telling me that all the things that I thought I had known about my friend were untrue. 

**_The bond you see there is not of mortal flesh._**

Huh? Who are you? I demanded in my mind. 

**_There can be another bond, one that you've also wanted. Look within yourself and him. There's an unspoken bond..._**

What are you talking about?? Get out of my head! Who are you?? I demanded of the voice. 

**_You know, and you see that Yamato DOES fear. He fears losing you. You feel it too._** Frightened, I started breathing faster. The voice got stronger. **_He wants to be closer to you, he wants to protect you like he would his brother!_** As I started to rock back and forth, I gripped the sides of my head and closed my eyes. 

_Go away! Get out of my mind! Stop trying to ruin my only friendship! _

**Stop pretending! Look at him!**

Slowly, I raised my head to look at my friend and his brother. There was a glow so bright that I could barely see them. Tai was near us, watching Takeru but seemed unaffected by the glow. And that damned voice... 

**_You know what this means! _**

I started whispering to myself. "Get out of my mind. Get out of my head," the words like a lullaby. The voice only got stronger, and the light brighter. Yamato and Takeru seemed stopped in time. The voice became deafening and the light blinding. 

**_More then just friends. More then..._**

"GET OUT OF MY MIND!" I began to scream as I gripped the sides of my head. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" 

Reality snapped back. The voice went away, and the glowing just stopped abruptly. Yamato and Takeru were no longer stuck in time. "Jyou! What the hell was that for??" Tai shouted. 

"Jyou! Are you alright?" Izzy shouted in surprise, and genuine fear leapt into his voice. 

"Jyou." my faithful digimon was at my side. "Lets get some sleep. You need it." 

"The light... there was a voice..." Yamato and Takeru looked at each other and I could see Mimi mouthing 'What the fuck??' to Sora. "linked... brothers... by the will of the gods... bonds... untold," I gasped out as I shook my head as if to banish the thoughts. My head was swimming. Gomamon got me to a place to sleep. I laid down and nearly passed out. 

I heard whispers as I was laying down. "Linked brothers? Himself and Jim? Jyou isn't **** never***there's has****explanation." the whispers started to fade out so I didn't hear anymore of the conversation. Fortunately I passed out then. 

* * *

I woke late that afternoon when the world was right again. I went to the only place that I could be alone. By the waterfall. So this time it was me who stumbled onto Yamato swimming. I told him about the alcove I had discovered the previous night. I led him to it and watched as he tried to climb up. Finally I climbed up first, and reached down to help him. He looked around in fascination at the niche behind the waterfall. 

"Dude!" 

"Cool, huh?" 

He nodded vigorously. "But there's something that's been bothering me Jyou." 

"Oh?" 

"How are you doing? This morning you were sick...?" he asked unsurely. 

"I wasn't ill." 

"Oh...?" 

"The things I saw weren't fever induced." 

"What did you see?" 

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." 

"What makes you say that? We've been best friends since like forever. Whatever you have to say you can tell me no matter how bizarre." 

I looked at him hard. "I thought I heard a strange voice, and a glowing light... surrounding you and Takeru." 

Yamato looked like he was pondering something. He glanced up at me. "You're logical, you know what the voice said was true." 

"How do you know what it said?" 

"It was about me and our... friendship." 

"It said that you and your brother have a bond and...Yamato, I was told that you wanted to be— no that's too stupid." 

"More then... just friends." he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the crashing waterfall. His eyes were closed and he took a deep slow breath. "You knew about the names... Yama..to and Takeru..." He voice came out breathy and it cracked at one point. I closed my eyes hard to see if when I opened them again this would be just an illusion. It wasn't. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"The bond Takeru and I share isn't of brotherhood. ..Its of... love. There is a bond between us because I my brother so much that I would do anything to protect him. The glow... is... it's my lifeforce. ...I want to have the same thing with you." 

"How long have you wanted... more... from our childhood friendship?" I slowly asked carefully choosing my words. 

"Not long ago. After I realized that I ... loved you." he whispered. "Jyou, every time that you were looking for a relationship you overlooked me. I've long since known that what I've wanted from you has been more then just sports talks and kiss and tell. I've wanted more then just friendship. I've wanted from you the same type of love that you've shown to your crush of the day. I found it rather disturbing that you could love someone you barely know, yet only be friends with someone you've spent your whole life with." 

My jaw dropped open and my eyes went wide. _Of course I had over looked him. He was my friend. How was I supposed to know that he wanted... love??_ My stomach felt like a three ton parcel truck's front wheels were sitting on it. The mystical voice had been right. I found that rather unsettling. Yamato's huge sapphire eyes pleaded. _Look within yourself. You found it too._

I had? ...Yes, I had hadn't I? I had known it all along, didn't I? I ignored it, and I denied it, but it was there, and I had known it was from the beginning. _How is it that some people slip through the cracks?_ Every day I looked at this boy— this man— and found a friend. But I had seen more hadn't I? Where does the line cross from friendship to love? I wanted Yamato's mind, his body, his soul to be part of my life. Friendship is logical enough to be part of the rational side of the mind. But Yamato? He was part of my irrational side too. Irrational... not only looks at the physical traits of someone. It looks at their very soul. That was what I had wanted from Yamato, wasn't it? I wanted to be part of his soul, his fire that makes him exist in a world -- two worlds-- of things made up of nothing more then physical beings and pretty sciences to explain them. 

I love his huge sapphire eyes that reflect his soul and look into yours. I love his golden hair that I would have given anything to run my fingers through. I loved warmth and friendship that he directed at me. I loved him because he was a rebellious, strong and powerful. A dreamer. Sensitive. Introspective. And I loved him because he was Yamato, the protector of Takeru. I was in love with Yamato. 

Revelation flooded me. I vaguely became aware of strong arms surrounding my body. "I'm sorry, Jyou." It took me a moment to realize he was crying. _Tell him you idiot!!! Tell him before it's too late!!_ Revelation was replaced by something else. ...Hunger. I let Yamato back off my shoulder. Once again I began to see an aurea of light around him. But this time... this time Takeru wasn't part of it. The hunger began to grow. His eyes were trained on the floor. I lifted up his chin and looked at his huge blue eyes. Shimmering with tears, they betrayed his feelings. Loneliness. And pain. Both things I've known well. 

"I didn't see. I didn't let myself see." I choked out. Still somewhat in shock that I had almost let the one I truly loved get away. I reached forward to hug him, like he was going to disappear the moment I took my eyes off him. But somehow, somehow, before I could tell Yamato what I had learned about my end of the friendship, my irrational side took control of my body. As I reached forward to hug the blond boy, my mouth somehow searched for his. They met in a moment of contentment, and the hunger was lessened. I once the brief moment passed I just clung on to his neck, not wanting to look him in the face. Yamato just sat stock still in total shock. 

"I thought that..." he choked out. 

"So did I." _Damn, that voice had to be right._ I still clung onto Yamato's neck. "I just killed any friendship we had." 

"No. No, you didn't. Besides if anyone did, it was me. And when I did it died screaming." he said. I released my death grip from Yamato's body. 

"I didn't know I loved you." I whispered. _An unspoken bond. Damn voice had to be right._

* * *

**End Tape One**


	2. Tape Two

**Begin Tape Two**

"Where do we go from here?" I whispered into Yama's ear so as to not wake the others. We were back at the campsite, trying not to gain attention. He, thinking we were the only ones up drew me in and kissed me instead of answering. "Come on, for real here, Yama." I hissed. "We don't even know what we're going to do about the gang if they find out." 

"If they find out, they find out. As for us..." he fingered a strand of my blue hair. Half asleep I pushed his hand away from my ear. "I always did wonder why it was blue." he giggled. I mentally groaned. 

"Lets see how things go as is before we do anything that might make us outcasts." I whispered, but not before I managed to snag one of Yama's golden locks and curl it around my fingers. Not far away Agumon shifted in his sleep, reminding us that we weren't alone. "And if we do... lets make sure it's not here." He gave me a stupid smile as his hand traveled along my shirt. I stopped it before it got too far. "We gotta do this for Takeru's sake, too." I said knowing that this would stop him dead in his tracks. He did, but not before covering my mouth in a smoldering kiss. As I tried to catch my breath after he did, he curled up next to me, and my arms went around him almost of their own will. We fell asleep like that, Yamato next to me, his head resting on my shoulder, my own arms around him, and a stupid smile on my face. 

I woke up slowly the next morning and gradually became aware of Yama's presence in my arms. He, too, started to wake up. I saw him looking at me, one eye open, his mouth went up to greet mine, and strong hands went to my sides. 

"Baby mine." the old nickname for any girl he was dating came out of his mouth a choked whisper, almost like he was still in shock that we were together. 

An airy smile spread across my face as strong hands went under my shirt, lifting it off. He leaned over me and put a well placed kiss on the upper center of my chest. The feeling that I had always gotten whenever Yama was around me spread, a feeling of iron, or steel, spreading out from his kiss. It was odd at first because the rest of my body felt like it was on fire, and the feeling of cold steel was there as he kissed me a second time, about a hand width down from the first one. I gave a small noise to tell him not to go any lower. For whatever reason he understood me and his last kiss was dead center, just below my neck. 

He started to back off of me, but I pretty much threw him down, and covered his mouth with mine. He gave a tiny shocked protest as my hands slipped off his green sleeveless and my lips went to his neck. His hand went up to the clasp of my breeches grappling desperately with the buckle. 

Not far to our right I heard something shatter as it hit the ground. Freezing in the positions we where in, both our heads swung in the direction of the noise. Less then 5 meters away stood Izzy, eyes wide, eyebrows up so far they threatened to go over his forehead. The redhead's hand still in front of him where it had once held the jar which now lay shattered on the ground. It wasn't till then that I thought what we must look like: Both of us bare chested, my face not far from Yama's neck, and his hand frozen in shock, still clutching the clasp of my breaches. Izzy made a sound something like the cross between an "eep!" and what a strangled cat might sound like. With that he turned so hard on his heel that he nearly fell; walked away, eyes still wide with shock, and hand still in front of him like he was still holding the jar that now lay shattered on the ground. 

"I think he saw us." I said, my voice cracking as I lifted myself away from Yama. He just nodded in response. Looking over to where the smaller boy had disappeared I quickly grabbed my shirt off the ground. Yama followed suit, and soon he was jamming his own shirt over his head. 

"Izzy! Wait up!" I shouted as I tried to find the damn hole at the top of the shirt. Unfortunately my blouse had other plans, making my life miserable. After what seemed like hours of wresting with the cloth I found the damn top and broke into a run after Izzy. 

I sprinted into the woods, and looked for the little redhead. "Izzy! Izzy, where are you?" After nearly tripping over a branch or seven I spotted a flash of orange. _Why the hell is he running? Hell, **when** did he start running?_ "Izzy! Izzy, wait up!" He didn't stop, but he did slow down. I caught up with him as he hunched over, his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. "Please," I begged. "Let me explain." 

"What's to explain?" he asked, his jaw set, but eyes dull and colourless. 

"I— huh? No, I meant that... please don't tell anyone..." 

"...Fine." Izzy's voice was flat and emotionless. 

"That's it?" I said stunned. 

"Who would I tell? Don't worry Jyou, your secret's safe with me." kind words came out of a stern face. His voice was so toneless that had he not been right in front of me I wouldn't have known it was Izzy. 

"Thank... thank you, Izzy." 

As I turned to leave and go back to my Yama I could have sworn I heard a muffled cry come from the smaller boy. When I looked back at him he was smiling an odd smirk and I was sure there were tears brimming in his eyes. He kept insisting that he was alright so I eventually left him there alone. The next time I looked back he was sitting on a log, hands covering his face. 

* * *

Yamato was trying to get Takeru to sleep. Sora stood next to Tai talking of soccer camp. Agumon and Gabumon zipped past them running and shouting like a couple of five-year-olds, while Gomamon, Gatomon, and Tentomon with Izzy as he hacked away at his computer. Somewhere to my right Piyomon and Palmon played with Mimi's hair. I stood alone by the fire watching Yamato tend to the small blond child. As I sat I wondered how long it would be before Izzy betrayed us. Not that I didn't trust the redhead, I just wasn't sure if I should. I glanced over at him, as if I could see into his soul, telling me if he had spoken. He was looking at me over his computer. His face grew red as he noticed I had seen him. 

I sighed and wandered over to Yamato to see if Takeru was asleep. I ran my hand along Yama's face. He closed his eyes and leaned into it like a puppy. "Is he doing better?" I asked softly. Yamato nodded, a relived smile crossing his face. One the smaller child had fallen asleep Yama took my hand and led me back to the fire. 

I looked around and noticed that almost everyone had gone to sleep by then. Gently I kissed him. He shook his head, probably remembering what had happened the last time. Once again he took my hand and started leading me, this time into the woods. 

"The waterfall!" I gasped in realization. Yama gave me a grin. Quicker then I thought possible we arrived at the lake and were splashing in the water. 

Grinning, I lurched out from under the water, scaring the crap out of Yama. He retorted by splashing me back. Soon we were in a huge water fight, soaking each other completely, and thoroughly exhausted. I led him back to the alcove. It seemed like years since we had been there. 

"I just love it up here!" he breathed. I gave a nod. "But I would have thought that the long grass would have rotted or dried up by now," he mused. 

"Don't question what the gods give you Yama-chan." I grinned fingering his crest. 

"And don't you play with fire, Baby mine," he winked, and swatted away my hand, the corner of his mouth coming up in a sly grin, "You might just get burned." 

"I'm counting on it." 

"Twisted." he grinned. Strong arms surrounded me, and lips found mine. The tip of my tongue found his. A strong hand stroked my thick blue hair. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this," he said as I fell backwards onto the long-grass floor. 

"Your giving me an idea." I said. 

It was going to be an interesting night. 

* * *

Yamato slept peacefully beside me, his arm cast over my chest. I glanced at the crests which lay near him, having been ...removed... when they had gotten in the way. I fingered the symbol on his, fascinated by the yin-yang quality to it. I put it back down, accidently brushing Yama's side. I retracted my hand as he opened his eyes. 

"Sorry man." I said as I ran my hand down his cheek. "Didn't mean to wake ya." he caught my palm in his hand and held it in place on his chest. 

"Don't worry about it," he smiled at me as he closed his eyes again. I drew myself closer to him. "Everything's different now..." he murmured as I did. 

"But... we were already close friends, now we're just lovers." I said unsurely. 

"You'll know what I mean soon enough." 

"Is there something I should know...?" I asked unable to keep fear from my voice. 

"It's alri— Shh! Did you hear that??" 

"What?" I said quickly sitting up. Then, over the crashing waterfall, I heard it. The sound of a guy and a girl heading this way. And they were damn close. 

"What do we do?" 

Yama jolted up. "They're closer then I thought." 

"Lets get out of here!" I hissed. Yamato nodded in agreement, just as Tai and Sora's faces appeared at the mouth of the alcove. They were both nude, having swum to get to the alcove, save their crests, which hung on strings around their necks like ours... had. 

"AHHH!" Sora screeched 

"AHHH!" I cried. 

Tai yelped like a wounded dog, any words dying in his throat. His eyes darted between the two of us. "How did you— Why are you— Oh my god, you guys..." I shook my head fervently, and put my leg down hiding of a glossy white spot that would tell otherwise. 

"You guys." Yamato sighed. Tai and Sora looked at each other. 

"No!" they shouted the same time. 

I turned to Yama. "That would explain the long grass." Sora's face was so red she would have made a tomato jealous. 

"And I suppose your crests 'fell' off and landed near Matt." Tai sneered. My face grew hot, a sure sign that I was blushing. "Matt and Jyou. What **were** you doing?" Tai mocked. 

"It doesn't matter." Yama said in a deadly voice. I wouldn't have been able to detect the tremble in his it if I hadn't known him as long as I did. I slipped his hand into mine, to try to comfort him. Tai sneered at this. 

He faked a sniff. "Aww. That's so CUTE. I'm just touched." 

Yamato's eyes fired up. He pushed Tai hard shouting "Who are you to judge us?" Tai fell backwards into the water unhurt, except his wounded pride. 

"Faggot." I heard Tai growl. My stomach lurched at the familiar phrase that Yamato's father had often used to describe relationships like ours. I heard Yama draw in a sharp breath. 

"Bastard." I snarled. While Sora was tending to her 'wounded' man Yama grabbed my hand and we jumped out of the alcove, through the waterfall, over Tai and Sora, and into the cold water. 

"Talk about a mood killer." I heard Sora grumble as she tended to Tai. 

* * *

Takeru had recovered from his fever so we decided to leave the lake with the waterfall. I think that it was more so that Tai could get away from memories then anything else. That day we traveled from forestation and waterfalls to dry desert. It was like the deadly desert in wizard of OZ, in that it was completely barren. Now if we had turned to sand when we touched it, the scene would have been complete. Besides it wasn't that bad, if it weren't for the fact that the digimon didn't like it. The only good thing about it was that we spotted the evil digimon before she attacked us. 

She was large and bright in the sky, like a second sun. With wings of silver fire extending from it's body, the Pyramon lived up to it's legendary name. Of being an evil digimon. 

We were surrounded by a ring of fire. As our digimon digivolved I began to understand Pyramon's logic behind her attacks. We were split up in to smaller groups, until it was Kari, Tai and Sora in one section, Izzy in another, Mimi in another, and Yamato, Takeru and I in the last. "Divide and conquer." I whispered to the wind as Yamato and I huddled around Takeru, and the fires used to divide the Digidestined blazed around us. In air and on land our digimon put up one hell of a fight. But since only Kabuterrymon and Birdramon could fly we were in a bit of a bind. 

"Get 'um Ikkakumon!" I shouted as he let a harpoon torpedo fly at the silver phoenix. The mighty firebird looked at my group, eyes blazing like emeralds. She let out a blood curdling scream as she went down defeated, but not before she had managed to let a fireball fly at my group. 

I heard Takeru screaming as the fire came towards us. Instinctively I grabbed him and threw him to the ground. It wasn't until the heat from the fireball reached unbearable that I realized that Yama had covered us with his body to protect us. I felt a searing pain as the fireball struck, seconds seeming like hours. It felt like my blood was boiling and my back itself was on fire. I think at one point I even screamed, but I don't know for sure, because everyone was at that point. Then, sooner then I expected it to the moment passed, the rest of the gang started to gather around as I got up to see if Yamato had survived. 

He was laying limp, his skin coloured red from the fire. Fear jumped in my throat and lodged itself there so hard I could barely breath. Yama's cloths were burned and ripped, but for whatever reason nothing had stayed on fire, and nothing was grafted. Even his hair was ok, but Yama lay in the sand unmoving. "Come on Yama-chan, don't leave me now...." I cradled his head in my lap, more panic coming forward, choking me. "Come on Yama, live..." Pushing fear away I remembered training. _Pulse... where is his pulse??? I can't find it!!_ I could hear the fear in the rest of the gang as I examined Yama's unmoving body. I grabbed his hand and held it in mine, and choked back a sob. _He can't be gone..._ "No, Yama I love you..." 

It was then that it happened. The aurora returned, stronger then ever. "Please don't take my brother!" I heard Takeru's strangled cry. I knew then, that it wasn't going to. There was a terrific wind that ripped around the three of us. Takeru, holding tightly onto Yamato's hand and I cradling his head, one hand slipped in his, I remembered something: {i}It was then that I knew there was a magic, a fire, within Matt's soul, one that would never let his beloved brother die.{/I} By the same token there must be a fire in Takeru's soul, one that would never let his beloved Yama die. 

_By an unspoken bond... I understand now..._ Yamato and Takeru began to glow the same fire that I had seen Yamato give to his brother whenever he was sick. But this time... this time I was part of it. "...Live Yama, live..." The wind screamed louder around us and the light grew so bright I thought I might go blind. "Live..." 

Slowly, ever so slowly, Yama opened his eyes. "Now you know why I stayed with my brother when he was sick..." his skin began to return to it's normal colour. _Linked by an unspoken, mystical bond. A bond that is not is not of mortal flesh._ "I'm not going to leave you, Baby mine." 

Ever since that day my beloved Yama and I have been more then Just Friends. We've been lovers, friends, allies, cronies, pals, sympathizers, cohorts... and soulmates. We are linked, as one by a mystic bond. One that can't be broken. 

* * *

My brother sits at the table drumming his fingers. "You've GOT to be kidding me," he says leering at me like a tiger ready to pounce. "That was the dumbest, most fantasy laden story I've ever heard." 

"And your a dork! It's true, Yamato and I are soulmates. There is a mystical bond that we share, linking us as—" 

"Yes, and I believed every word of it. Could of used a vampire though." 

"Don't even joke about that! What do you think Myotismon was??" 

My brother looks at his watch. "You sat me down for god knows how long, to tell me that you had sex with some Yamato character, and that you hear voices in your head." 

"You know you just suck the fun right outta this whole story, Dork." 

"Why couldn't you be more like TK?" Jim says, a smirk pricking the corners of his mouth. 

"Why couldn't you be more like Yamato?" 

"Because there are rules against incest." he easily retorts. 

I groan. "Saw it comin'." 

"Anything else that you want to add? Maybe that you got abducted by aliens while you were in the Digiworld? Or perhaps just that you and Matt made the wind and the rain last night too." 

"Not really, only that Just Friends is a sucky fic and Phoenixfire knows it. If you want to know what this relationship got based on, but DON'T want me and Yama doing —what did you call it? — the hot monkey dance, then Phoenixfire suggests that you read Father Figure, and blame the TV stations for having nothing good on." 

"No thank you. I've had enough of Matts and Jyous for one life time." my brother leaves our apartment as quickly as he can. 

I go to the window overlooking the city and press my forehead against the cool glass. The figure across the street picks up the phone. A tiny smile crosses my face. 

"Did you tell them?" 

"He doesn't believe me." 

"Well... Maybe its better that way," I see the figure shift uncomfortably. 

"Did you tell them?" 

"Not yet. I-- He's just walked in now! I'm sorry Jyou, I gotta go," the figure's eyes leave me and turn to the inside of the apartment. He glances back and gives a halfhearted smile. 

"Alright then I'll see you tomorrow." 

"If I live that long," the voice groans. 

"Goodnight Yama. Baby mine." 


End file.
